Make Yourself a Morning Person: Things to Do the Night Before to Start Your Day off Right

If you're a master of the "snooze then rush," then you are not making the most of your mornings. Taking just a few minutes out of your evenings to do these things can really make a huge difference in your morning and your entire day.

Get enough sleep

Duh. But here's the thing: just because you make an effort to lie in bed for the correct number of hours, doesn't mean you're really getting rest. If you're regularly having trouble falling asleep or tossing and turning all night, then take a look at your lifestyle to see where you could make tweaks to get your zzzs. Work on easy stuff first, like turning off tech WELL before bedtime, avoiding afternoon caffeine and keeping a regular sleep schedule (ie. not sleeping 'til noon on the weekends). If those don't work, see your doctor. A good night's sleep is worth it.

Get a jump start on morning tasks

You don't want to have to start out your morning by racing around doing things that you could have accomplished the night before. Whatever it is that you do in the morning, making your breakfast (or extra points, lunch), picking out an outfit or emptying the dishwasher, try taking a few minutes to do those tasks the night before (instead of watching one more episode of whatever you're currently bingeing on on Netflix). Starting the morning out right can set the tone for your whole day.

Make a to-do list

It's always nice to know what your day is going to look like. It not only lets you make good clothing and food plans, but it also helps mentally prepare you so you're not stressed out by a surprise meeting or soccer game that you then need to rush to. Even if you know — generally —what's on the docket, writing it down will help you get it out of your head so you can relax (and sleep!) all night without worrying.

Tidy up

No one wants to wake up to a messy space. Talk about a bad mood starter! Give yourself five minutes each evening to do a quick purge of surfaces and dishes so you can go to bed knowing you'll get a fresh start in the morning.